Triathlon Lingo

Like any sport, triathlon has its own language and if you don’t know it, conversing with a seasoned triathlete can be a bit confusing. Not to worry though, Enduranerd is here to help!

Below are some of the more common terms:

70.3: Distance in miles of a half distance triathlon

* Note: 70.3™ as it pertains to triathlon is trademarked by the World Triathlon Corporation_©

140.6: Distance in miles of a full distance triathlon

AG: Age Group

Aid Station: Locations that are spaced throughout the bike and run sections where participants can receive fuel, hydration and first aid

AT: Anaerobic Threshold

Beach Start: Participants start on the beach and run into the water

Body Marking: Race numbers written on the arms and legs of triathlon participants

Bonk: Also called “hitting the wall”. Occurs when the glycogen stores in the body are empty and the athlete suffers extreme fatigue and the body essentially shuts down

Brick: A workout that consists of running directly after cycling

Buoy: Large orange cones that mark the swim course

Catch: A swimming term that refers to the arm position once it enters the water to ‘grab’ as much water as possible.

Chamois: The pad in bike or triathlon shorts

Chip: An electronic chip that tracks the athlete throughout the race

Chip Time: The time from when an athlete begins their race to the time they finish

Change Tent: Location in Ironman_® events where competitors can change clothes in

Chop: Refers to rough water conditions

Chute: Sometimes called the “finishing chute”. This is the area directly after the end of the race that athletes funnel into

Deck: The area around a swimming pool

Draft: To swim, bike or run behind another person to save energy

Draft Legal: A triathlon that allows participants to draft on the bike portion of the event

Dropped: If a rider cannot keep up with a group of riders and has been left behind, they have been “dropped”

DNF: Did Not Finish

DNS: Did Not Start

DQ: Disqualified

Dryland: A swimming term that infers ‘Dryland Training.’ Refers to any type of strength training or form-based drills performed out of the water

Duathlon: Multisport event that is similar to a triathlon but the legs are – Run, Bike, Run

Fartlek: Type of running workout that integrates random speed changes. It’s a Swedish word meaning “Speed Play”

Floating Start: Competitors start in the water without their feet touching the ground

Full: Full distance triathlon

Gait: Denotes the form of a runner and in particular, the legs

Gun Time: The time from the start of a race to the time an individual finishes

Half: Half distance triathlon

HR: Heart rate

HRM: Heart rate monitor

IM: Ironman_®

Kick (Running): Used to describe the sprint to the finish line

LT: Lactate Threshold

Marshall: Individuals on the course to ensure the safety of the participants as well as to ensure all participants follow the rules

Mat: Refers to timing mats that record the time of competitors in the transition areas as well as the three-sport sections. The mats “read” the chip attached to each participant

Mechanical: Used to denote a problem with the bicycle (i.e. flat tire)

MDot: Trademarked logo of Ironman

No Drop Ride: A bike ride that will not leave any rider behind

Oly: Used to denote an Olympic distance triathlon

OWS: Open Water Swim – Pertains to swimming outside of a pool environment

Paceline: A formation of a line of cyclists used to save energy by drafting

Pack: Group of runners, cyclists or swimmers

Peloton: A pack of cyclists

Pick Ups: Short bursts of speed or accelerations during a run

Plyos: Short for “Plyometrics”, meaning explosive, jumping style movements. Meant to build power

PR: Personal Record (i.e. best time at a specific distance event)

RPM: Revolutions Per Minute (cycling)

SBR: Swim, Bike, Run

Sin Bin: These are penalty areas (tents) where competitors are stopped for a set amount of time if they were caught committing a penalty on the cycling course (i.e. illegal drafting)

Spin: Easy bike ride, or pedal fast in a low gear

Sprint: Sprint distance triathlon

SR: Stroke Rate (swimming)

Strides: Short sprints often done prior to, or after a run

T1: Transition One

T2: Transition Two

T-Pace: Swimming term that refers to ‘Threshold Pace’

Trainer: Commonly used to denote an apparatus that allows an individual to ride their bike inside

VO₂: Commonly refers to the “VO₂ Max Test or one’s aerobic capacity based on the test

VT: Ventilatory Threshold

Watts: Refers to power output when cycling

Wave: Groups of triathletes starting the swim at the same time. Typically grouped by AG’s.

Wetsuit Stripper: Person at the end of the swim to help competitors get out of their wetsuits

And there you go… now you’re ready to engage in some tri talk!